England’s new forwards guru Matt Proudfoot says he is relishing working and learning under head coach Eddie Jones.
Many have wilted under the Australian’s famously demanding regime but Proudfoot, the former South African forwards coach, says he is revelling in it.
After watching the South Africa pack demolish England in last year’s Rugby World Cup final, former Wallabies boss Jones’ next step was obvious – get the coaching brains behind the Springbok scrum, Proudfoot, to jump ship and head to Twickenham.
And having worked under Rassie Erasmus at the World Cup, Proudfoot now faces a different challenge with Jones but admits he is happy to learn under him.
“Eddie has tried to pull a whole lot of different perspectives into the English model and tried to really make it the best,” Proudfoot said.
“That has required me to grow, requires the players to grow, staff members to grow and to be outside your comfort zone and that has been a very big difference.
“His preparation is exceptional. How holistically he prepares a team. He wants us to continually improve the way we do things so, once we’ve trained, he’ll ask us how we could improve that session.
“He’s got a thirst for improvement of the environment and of the players and the way it relates to training specifically.”
Proudfoot, who joined the England set up in January, is not new to the British rugby scene, having played for Edinburgh and Glasgow and won four Scotland caps through a grandparental qualification.
He then moved on to coach in South Africa and Japan but said, on his return, how he was struck by the similarities.
“Wherever you are in the world they (forwards) tend to be the same type of people so that’s something I’ve enjoyed,” said the former prop speaking in lock down back in Cape Town..
“A Joe Marler and a Steven Kitshoff, a Lood de Jager and a Maro Itoje, tend to be similar types of people, and that’s quite surprised me.
“But what has been very different is the way Eddie produces his system. Eddie wants to build the best rugby environment.
“He pushes every part of the department to be the best they can be, whereas maybe the Springbok environment was about really preserving the Springbok identity.”
